Hit and run in Austin, TX: report it today and protect your insurance claim

Last checked November 8, 2026

In Austin, report a hit and run right away by 911 if you are hurt, or at iReportaustin.com if not.12 Austin Police do not respond to old, unreported crashes.3 To use uninsured coverage, the other car must have touched you or your property.4 Most lawsuits are due in 2 years.5

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Road map of Austin, where Austin Police accept hit and run reports online through iReportaustin.com
Austin Police do not respond to old, unreported hit and runs. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

How do I report a hit and run in Austin?

It depends on how fresh it is and whether anyone was hurt. Call 911 if you are injured or the driver is still nearby. Texas law says crashes with injuries must be reported right away by the fastest means available.2 For a crash with no injury and no one still at the scene, Austin Police prefer iReportaustin.com, and Hit & Run is on the list of offenses accepted online.16

If you cannot use the online system, such as when you have no email address or you are under 17, call Austin 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000.7 Walk-in reporting has moved from the old headquarters to 812 Springdale Rd.8 Anonymous tips go to Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477.9

Why does waiting hurt a hit and run case in Austin?

A 2023 Austin Police presentation says officers will not respond to old, unreported crashes, and it names leaving the scene as one example.3 The longer you wait, the less likely you are to get an officer, a report or a witness. Nearby businesses tape over their own cameras, too. Ask them for video the same day or the next.

Set your expectations honestly. Detectives review reports and investigate those with leads. If there are no viable leads, they tell you and suspend the report.10 A suspended report does not end your insurance claim, and your own policy may be the way forward.

What should you collect after a hit and run in Austin?

  1. Write down everything you recall: the color, the make, part of the plate, the direction it went.
  2. Photograph the paint transfer and the damage before any repairs.
  3. Get names and phone numbers from anyone who stopped.
  4. Save dashcam files right away. Many cameras write over themselves within hours.
  5. See a doctor. Dell Seton is a Level I trauma center and St. David's South Austin is Level II.1112
  6. Buy any report written through LexisNexis BuyCrash, or from TxDOT for $6.1314

Will my insurance pay for a hit and run in Texas?

Uninsured motorist coverage is the usual route. Texas policies include it unless a named insured turned it down in writing, so ask your agent for that paper before you assume anything.15 There is one catch that surprises people. For a hit and run, the unknown car must have actually touched you or your property.4

If a driver ran you off Ben White without touching you, that rule can be a real problem. Find any witness or video you can, and talk with a lawyer before you give up on it. Roads like I-35, US 183 and Ben White are the high-speed corridors Austin Police flag.1617

What happens to the driver who ran in Texas?

A driver in a crash that hurts someone, or is likely to, must stop right away.18 The driver must also give a name, address, vehicle registration number and insurer, and help anyone who is hurt.19 Leaving is a third-degree felony if someone is seriously hurt and a second-degree felony if someone dies.20

A criminal case and your money claim are two separate tracks. If police later find the driver, you can still go after that driver and that driver's insurer. Tell your detective about any change in your medical bills so the file stays current. Keep your claim moving in the meantime.

What if the car that fled was a City of Austin vehicle?

Rare, but it matters. If you can tie the vehicle or a road hazard to the city, the 45-day notice applies to you.21 APD responds when a City of Austin vehicle is involved, so mention it on the call.22 Do not wait for detectives to close the file first. The city's charter says a missed notice can excuse the city entirely.23

How many hit and runs happen in Austin?

We could not find an official Austin count for hit and runs by year. What we can give you is scale. Austin Police worked 10,312 crashes in 2025, and TxDOT counted 11,032 crashes in the city.2425 Your report still matters even when the numbers feel large, because insurers often ask for the case number.

Questions

How long do I have to report a hit and run in Austin?

Report it as soon as you can. Texas requires an injury crash to be reported right away, and Austin Police do not respond to old, unreported crashes.23

Can I file a hit and run report online in Austin?

Yes. Hit & Run is on the city's list of offenses accepted through online reporting.6

Will uninsured motorist coverage pay if the car never touched me?

Usually not. Texas requires actual contact with you or your property for an unknown driver.4

How long do I have to sue if police find the driver later?

Generally 2 years from when your claim arose.5 Do not wait for the police to finish.

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Austin

Hit and run

Texas

Sources

  1. Austin Police, checked 2026-11-08. “For non-emergencies use www.iReportaustin.com (Preferred).”
  2. Tex. Transp. Code § 550.026(a), checked 2026-11-08. “shall immediately by the quickest means of communication give notice of the collision to the:”
  3. Austin Police, Traffic Enforcement presentation (April 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “Old, unreported crashes (including Leaving the Scene)”
  4. Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.104(3), checked 2026-11-08. “require that, for the insured to recover under the uninsured motorist coverage if the owner or operator of any motor vehicle that causes bodily injury or property damage to the insured is unknown, actual physical contact must have occurred between the motor vehicle owned or operated by the unknown person and the person or property of the insured.”
  5. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  6. City of Austin, File a police report, checked 2026-11-08. “Hit & Run”
  7. City of Austin, File a police report, checked 2026-11-08. “To report by phone, call Austin 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000”
  8. Austin Police, checked 2026-11-08. “Walk-in reporting at the old APD Headquarters (715 E. 8th St.) has moved to 812 Springdale Rd.”
  9. City of Austin, File a police report, checked 2026-11-08. “To report a crime anonymously, visit austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477”
  10. Austin Police, Response Guide, checked 2026-11-08. “If the reports do not have viable investigative leads, detectives will notify the complainant that there are no leads and will suspend the report.”
  11. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “DELL SETON MEDICAL CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS 10/1/2028 O AUSTIN 78701”
  12. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “ST DAVIDS SOUTH AUSTIN MEDICAL CENTER 10/1/2028 O AUSTIN 78704”
  13. City of Austin, Purchase an APD online crash report, checked 2026-11-08. “Purchase online crash reports for the Austin Police Department jurisdiction with LexisNexis”
  14. TxDOT, Crash reports and records, checked 2026-11-08. “$6 for a regular copy.”
  15. Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.101(c), checked 2026-11-08. “The coverage required by this subchapter does not apply if any insured named in the insurance policy rejects the coverage in writing.”
  16. Austin Police, Traffic Enforcement presentation (April 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “significant portion of crashes, serious injury crashes, and fatalities occur”
  17. Austin Police, Traffic Enforcement presentation (April 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “I-35, US Hwy 183, Ben White”
  18. Tex. Transp. Code § 550.021(a), checked 2026-11-08. “The operator of a vehicle involved in a collision that results or is reasonably likely to result in injury to or death of a person shall: (1) immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the collision or as close to the scene as possible;”
  19. Tex. Transp. Code § 550.023, checked 2026-11-08. “(1) give the operator's name and address, the registration number of the vehicle the operator was driving, and the name of the operator's motor vehicle liability insurer [...] (3) provide any person injured in the collision reasonable assistance”
  20. Tex. Transp. Code § 550.021(c), checked 2026-11-08. “(A) death of a person is a felony of the second degree; or (B) serious bodily injury, as defined by Section 1.07, Penal Code, to a person is a felony of the third degree;”
  21. City of Austin, File a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “You must send this letter within 45 days of the incident.”
  22. Austin Police, Traffic Enforcement presentation (April 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “City of Austin vehicle is involved”
  23. City of Austin, Staff charter recommendations with charter text (May 2026), checked 2026-11-08. “shall exonerate, excuse and exempt the city from any liability whatsoever”
  24. TxDOT, 2025 Crashes and Injuries by Investigating Agency, checked 2026-11-08. “AUSTIN PD 94 98 256 287 2,631 3,609 2,229 3,785 4,792 17,586 310 1,223 10,312”
  25. TxDOT, 2025 Crashes and Injuries Cities and Towns, checked 2026-11-08. “AUSTIN 94 98 276 309 2,738 3,762 2,276 3,870 5,325 19,185 323 1,303 11,032”

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